The ‘smart reply’ Google Inbox feature your work life needs NOW

Google is the gift that just keeps on giving isn’t it? First they gave us their new app version of to-do list Google Keep, and now they’re revolutionising our email lives as well.

You might have the Gmail app already – a permanent red and white fixture of most of our work lives.

But now the Silicon Valley tech-wizards really have gone the extra mile. They’ve added ‘smart reply’ technology to their useful Google Inbox app, meaning instead of solely having a ‘Reply’ option, Inbox will offer three ‘smart replies’ instead which automatically start the message for you.

The options are generated based on the content of the received message. So if a colleague emails you asking, “Would you like a plus-one to the Christmas Party”, Inbox will suggest “Yeah, that would be fun!” or “That would be great.”

Obviously we’re a little wary of any pre-reading of our messages, computer or no. But Google insists no humans are prying on your emails, which reassures us a little.

Senior research scientist Greg Corrado explained in his blog post, “In developing Smart Reply, we adhered to the same rigorous user privacy standards we’ve always held — in other words, no humans reading your email.” We believe you Greg!

If you’re still unsure as to what the new update entails, then head over to Google’s research blog, which explains the whole process (including how it works) in fascinating detail.